Industry News

2018 Marketing Materials Effective today, the 2018 Medicare supplement and SELECT marketing materials are available to order through your normal channels. Broker Bonus Program – More States We have added five new states to our Broker Bonus Program. Now you can make even more bucks on your Medicare supplements underwritten business in AL, NH, NM, SD and VA. Idaho Med Supp Household Discount Effective December 15, 2017 the seven percent household discount will no longer be available for Mutual of Omaha Medicare supplement new business in Idaho. February/March 2018 Standardized Rate Adjustment Please review the upcoming Standardized Rate Adjustment inRead More

A Very Special End-of-the-Year Webinar Is Planned We’re pleased to announce that plans have been finalized for our special “Industry Updates – 2017 Year End Grand Finale” webinar event. GoldenCare is honored to bring you one of the most influential and respected people in long-term care, Steve Moses! He will be joining us as our special guest speaker for this presentation. Be sure to register – space is limited, and these seats will be going quickly! Click below to register: Wed, Jan 3, 2018 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST Read Full Good News Article #2017 #longtermcare #goldencareagentRead More

Our New Website Went LIVE on December 11, 2017! We would like to thank all of you for your valuable feedback on our new website! We are excited to announce that our new website went live on Monday, December 11, 2017! You now have easy access to all the best features to help you and your clients, such as: FAQ section – This section is now easier to navigate, organized by product, and contains updated information. Blog – Our new blogs are based on most frequently searched topics online. Easy to share information with your friends, family, and clients. ProductRead More

Producers, Agencies, and General Agents have a broad array of services available to help them manage contracting and appointment requests, such as a mult-carrier contracting system. If a multi-carrier contracting automation system is used to complete Genworth’s Producer Information and Appointments Form (PIF), it is the Producer’s, Agency’s, and General Agent’s responsibility to ensure the responses to Genworth’s specific Business practices questions are accurate, the proper details have been provided, and the signatures are appropriately applied. Specific requirements to consider when using a process that applies an electronic signature: The signature process must meet all applicable state and federal laws.Read More

“We haven’t prepared for the aging monster,” by Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post “No one can say we weren’t warned. For years, scholars of all shapes and sizes — demographers, economists, political scientists — have cautioned that the populations of most advanced countries are gradually getting older, with dramatic consequences for economics and politics. But we haven’t taken heed by preparing for an unavoidable future. . . . The implication: Unless retirement ages are raised sharply or benefits are cut deeply, more and more of the income of the working-age population will be siphoned off through higher taxes or cutsRead More

“Past efforts point way to future success of Medicaid LTSS reform: report,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living “Twelve million Americans use some form of LTSS, with Medicaid LTSS expenditures totaling $140 billion annually, according to the organizations. Through waivers for home- and community-based services, 15% of assisted living residents rely on Medicaid for their daily long-term care, according to the National Center for Assisted Living. Changes are needed to reduce the potential strain on the Medicaid program at the state and federal level as the aging population grows 18% by 2020, increasing demands for LTSS, the report said.”Read More

“5 Things an Asset-Based LTC Veteran Sees Today,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “Pat Foley is right in the middle of the action for life insurance policies and annuity contracts that offer long-term care (LTC) benefits. As president of individual and retirement services at OneAmerica, he works for an Indianapolis-based company that has been offering ‘hybrid LTC’ products, or ‘asset-based LTC’ products, before the hybrid products were cool. . . . Here’s a look at five things Foley said he’s seeing in the market for LTC solutions now, drawn from a telephone interview conducted Wednesday.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-TermRead More

“National Health Expenditure Report Shows We Have Not Solved the Cost Problem,” by Joseph Antos and James Capretta, Health Affairs Blog “Medicaid spending in real terms grew at an average annual rate of 4.4 percent over the period 2010 to 2016. On a per-capita basis, real Medicaid spending actually fell at an average annual rate of 0.3 percent over that period. . . . Per-person spending on Medicaid is heavily influenced by the characteristics of new enrollees into the program. In recent years, the program has enrolled millions of new beneficiaries who are not disabled or elderly, and thus haveRead More

“National long-term care spending hits all-time high at $163 billion,” by Emily Mongan, McKnight’s LTC News “Americans spent nearly $163 billion on nursing care facilities and continuing care retirement communities in 2016, according to a new federal report. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ National Health Care Spending report for 2016, published Wednesday in Health Affairs, found that total healthcare spending in the United States increased 4.3% in 2016, reaching $3.3 trillion. When it comes to long-term care, $162.7 billion was spent last calendar year. That marks the highest point in total nursing care and CCRC spending to date,Read More

“What You Could Learn About a Successful Retirement From Current Retirees,” by Walter Updegrave, Money “Despite all the talk of a retirement crisis — and fears of people running through their savings too quickly — a new study has found something interesting: Older Americans who’ve spent nearly two decades in retirement have not only been able to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living, but have managed to do so while keeping their nest egg largely intact. But before today’s retirement savers get too giddy, the same study warns that future retirees may find it much more difficult to achieve anythingRead More